Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 88580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88580 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
“Don’t be fresh, Conlan, or I will yank off your ear.”
“Good luck sleeping with all those movie starlets with a disfigured face,” Jayson says, grinning.
“I have no trouble sleeping with starlets, scarred or otherwise.” Con winks as Mother rolls her eyes and we all drink.
The night continues. I’m surprised by how pleasant everyone’s acting—relatively speaking anyway. Con makes his jokes, Jayson remains skeptical, and Mother’s nice remains very much up in the air, but Casey’s holding her own. I don’t have to step in and reprimand my brothers for being assholes, and she never once seems put off or embarrassed.
By the time we finish after-dinner drinks, I’d almost believe everyone at the table are best friends. With the exception of Mother. She excuses herself and leaves, pausing only to say it was nice meeting Casey, before disappearing back into the casino.
“Off to lose more money to the slots,” Con says with a drawl. “That women does love to gamble.”
“Fortunately, it’s a circle. She gambles in our casino, our casino pays her bills. The cycle continues.” I lean back in my seat, feeling good for the first time in a while. I can’t recall when the boys were all together, and it’s actually nice.
The conversation continues. Casey tells some very funny stories about her years dealing—most of which involve overly drunk high-rollers and very ill-advised bets. She gets even Jayson laughing, which I have to admit is kind of impressive. Eventually, Con bids everyone good night, and Jayson heads out with him, leaving only me, Casey, and Erick at the table.
“I’ve been thinking.” Erick swirls his whiskey. His sleeves are pulled up, showing off his tattoos. “About your problem.”
I lean in slightly. Erick’s the quiet one in the group. Not because he’s not assertive or dominant, but because he thinks deeply before deciding to let words spill out of his mouth. He’s the total opposite of Con in that way. Jayson’s probably in the middle, and I lean more toward Erick’s end of the spectrum.
Which is why I always pay attention when my youngest brother decides he has something to say.
“Which problem is that?” I ask.
“Tony.” He glances at me, searching to see if I’m going to get upset. Instead, I only nod for him to continue. “You can’t kill him, but you also can’t sit back and ignore what happened.”
Casey shimmies in her seat, obvious uncomfortable.
“That’s what I’ve been thinking,” I agree. “There is no forgiveness.”
“There has to be another way to make him suffer.” Erick’s grip on his glass tightens. “You know how I feel about that man.”
Of everyone in my family, Erick despises Tony the most—and always has. I should’ve listened to my brother a long time ago. Erick saw through Tony’s charm from the start and sniffed out a rat long before anyone else suspected a thing.
“I have some ideas,” I admit, glancing at Casey.
“I wish we didn’t have to do this,” she blurts out.
Erick seems surprised. “Why? He hurt you.”
“I know that.” She stares at her hands. “But to him, it was self-preservation, right? Can’t we just make him understand that I have no interest in punishing him for what happened?”
“Don’t you?” I ask.
She considers. I want to make her think—I want to force her to really confront what she feels. There won’t be many chances to truly get revenge in this life, and if I can offer her some measure of comfort by making Tony bleed, I’ll do it.
It just so happens to be exactly what I want too.
“No, I really don’t. The accident was so long ago, and he’s obviously been sweating it for years. All I’ve ever wanted was to know the truth, and now I do.” She looks at me and I believe her, which makes this so much fucking harder.
“I’m sorry,” I say softly. “But Tony has to pay for what he did.”
“He’s going to be in Congress,” Erick says. Casey looks away from me, and I can tell she’s not happy. “That’s useful.”
“True, but it won’t help us. If anything, he’ll use his power to hurt the family.”
“Unless you change the dynamic.” Erick pushes back from the table. “Give it some thought anyway. Good night, Casey. It was nice to meet you.”
“You too,” she says, sounding distant.
Once I’m alone with her, I shift closer, putting my hand on her arm. She doesn’t flinch, but she doesn’t look at me, either.
“You’re going to start trouble,” she says.
“Probably.”
“This is such a mess.”
“Yes, it is.”
“All I want is to live. I don’t need revenge. I don’t need forgiveness either. I just want to live.”
I tighten my grip, not too hard, but enough that she knows I’m touching her. “In my business, that isn’t enough. Tony’s been a problem for a very long time, and now I think we have the leverage we’ve always needed.”